Brighter Than Any Of Those Stars
by The Scarlet Letter
Summary: It's been 10 years since they broke up, but the night she accepts her biggest award yet, it's him she thinks of. Back home in Lima, Finn watches as the girl he never got over thanks him for helping her reach her dreams and for telling her she was brighter than any star in the sky. Finchel.
1. Chapter 1

**Brighter than any of those stars.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Glee I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd stop Brittany from talking about more end of the world scenarios and kill off Marley...**

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This was what she had spent her whole life working towards. That eventual moment when she, one Rachel Barbra Berry, would be nominated for a Tony Award, and not just any Tony Award, but _Best Performance of a Leading Actress in a Musical_. It was fate, it had been written in the stars years ago. And yet, as Rachel sat surrounded by her fellow performers and people she had admired for years, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

So lost as she was in her thoughts, that Rachel failed to hear her category being announced and it wasn't until her long time best friend and co-star, Kurt Hummel, nudged her in the arm, that Rachel was aware of the fact that she had won. she didn't have to feign her shock, she had honestly had no idea that her category had even been close and it was this that had her the most shocked. She had worked her entire life for this, and now in this very moment she was thinking about what was missing from her life?! But as she approached the podium, Rachel realised it was because this victory wasn't like she imagined it, it felt almost empty.

As she began to wind up her speech by thanking her Dad's for everything they had done to make her dreams come true, that Rachel found herself continuing to talk;

"And finally, I want to dedicate this award to an old friend who told sixteen year old me, that he didn't need to name a star after me, because I already was one and I don't know if I would be standing here today if it wasn't for him, so thank you."

As Rachel exited the stage, she was oblivious to the applause around her, even to the trophy in her hand, instead her mind was on that boy, who had been the first person to make her truly feel like a star.

-xXx-

Finn Hudson sat on his couch in Lima, Ohio, watching the Tony Awards on Television and trying to convince himself that he was watching only to honour a promise to his brother, who was in attendance. But if Finn were to be completely honest with himself, he would admit that he was also watching for his ex-fiancée Rachel Berry, who he knew had been nominated for an award, meaning that Finn would be guaranteed a sighting of her.

Over the years, Finn had kept tabs in Rachel's career through his brother and the Internet, he had even snuck in and saw her performing in an off Broadway show once. it wasn't that Finn was still hung up on her, he wasn't, he just enjoyed watching her become the star he always knew her to be.

As the nominees for Best Performance of a Leading Actress in a Musical were announced, Finn couldn't help but catch his breath as the screen zoomed in on Rachel, who was an eye capturing vision in red. He wasn't surprised when she won, he never doubted she would, he was however, surprised by the end of her speech,

"And finally, I want to dedicate this award to an old friend who told sixteen year old me, that he didn't need to name a star after me, because I already was one and I don't know if I would be standing here today if it wasn't for him, so thank you."

Finn sat stunned as the TV went to commercial. He was honestly surprised that she hadn't forgotten and that it still meant something to her after all these years.

-xXx-

The next day at work found Finn at lunch with his long time best friend and mentor, Will Schuester.

"So I watched the Tony's last night." Will started. By the look on his face, Finn knew Will was testing the water to see if Finn knew what he was talking about and if so, was it open for conversation.

"I know, I watched them too." Finn said, seeing no reason to lie or avoid the topic, after all he still wasn't sure what he was suppose to feel about the whole thing.

"Are you...ok?" Will finished, hesitantly.

"I'm fine. Honestly Will, it was just a girl thanking someone she use to know for something kind they once said." Will's face told Finn he wasn't buying it.

"It more than that then and it still does Finn. Rachel's dreamt about that moment her whole life and the moment her dream comes true she chooses to thank you in her acceptance speech, and not only that she credited you with helping her to reach her dreams. I think it meant more than you care to admit." Will said, standing up and pushing in his chair. "I have a to do a few things before my next class, see you in Glee."

As Will walked away, Finn found himself lost in his thoughts as Will's and Rachel's speeches rotated in his mind, interrupted only by memories of the girl he had once loved.

-xXx-

Meanwhile, back in New York City, Rachel Berry sat fending off unwanted questions from her nosey best friend over brunch.

"Honestly Rach, you can't tell me that little heartfelt speech meant nothing to you." Kurt Hummel demanded slamming down his coffee in a moment of true dramatic flair. It had been said many times that Rachel Berry was a Drama Queen, but she had long since felt she didn't hold a candle to her best friend.

"You just want it to mean I've been secretly pining over him for the last ten years!" Rachel sighed, sipping at her tea, wishing it would transform into something alcoholic, though it was only ten in the morning. Kurt had been on her case since the ride to the after party last night, causing her to form a stress headache from his constant hounding. Truthfully, Rachel wasn't even aware what had come over her last night that had caused her to think of Finn, let alone thank him. Ok, truth be told, Rachel had never gotten over her high school boyfriend. After all, it wasn't exactly easy to simply forget the first person you ever loved, nearly married and who then went on to break up with you so that you wouldn't abandon your dreams for him. And yes, Finn had never been perfect, but neither had she, and she would be lying if she said it had never crossed her mind over the years if she had made a mistake letting him go. Her repeated failure in the romance department a testament to that.

It had been ten years since she had broken up with Finn and ever since that day her trademark gold star, once a reminder of her goals in life, was now a constant reminder of Finn and all that he had done to prove to her she was a star.

"How is he?" she blurted out. Kurt, who had still been dissecting every aspect of her speech, stopped in surprise.

"How's who?" he asked.

"Finn." Rachel exasperatedly replied, honestly what other 'he' was there?!

"Oh Finn. he's good. He's really loving teaching drama. He runs Glee club with Mr. Shue too, you know." Though both Rachel and Kurt were now well into their twenties, they both still found it hard to refer to Mr. Shue by Will, though they had both been told to on many occasions.

"Good, good. I'm glad." Rachel responded, but what she was really thinking was that she hadn't known he ran McKinley High's Glee club with Mr. Shue because she had avoided listening whenever Kurt brought him up over the years, finding it too painful to think of her ex-fiancé.

"Rachel, do you still love him?" Kurt asked.

"Who?" Rachel asked, though she knew perfectly well who. It was Kurt's turn to shoot her a look.

"Batman." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Admitting defeat, since she figured Kurt probably already knew the answer, Rachel reminded herself that she was almost 28 years of age and bit back her sarcastic response to answer maturely.

"I love the man I knew ten years ago Kurt. I don't know him anymore." Kurt sat mulling over her response in a few moments of blissful silence, as Rachel's headache had only grown during their conversation. Finally he reached over and grasped her hand and stared directly into her eyes, a move that had Rachel biting back a grin, before answering;

"How will you ever know if you never try Rach. Once upon a time Rachel Berry cried pedophile because she didn't get what she wanted. So maybe she's not as dramatic anymore." He said, holding up a hand to stop the retort on the tip of her tongue about having grown since then. "But that doesn't mean she can't fight for what she wants anymore, does it?"

-xXx-

Wednesday night found Finn back on his couch watching a popular cop show he couldn't remember the name of, when really he was trying not to brood over Rachel and her speech.

A knock at his front door startled him out of his thoughts. Surprised, since the only person who ever really visited him was Will, who Finn knew had gone into the next town over with his wife for the night to see a show, Finn headed toward the front door. Ignoring his Golden Lab, Oscar, who lifted his head from the floor to whine. Truly baffled as to his visitor's identity, Finn opened the door and discovered the last person he ever expected to find on his doorstep in Lima, Ohio at 8 o'clock on a Wednesday night, staring up at him.

"Hello Finn."

* * *

**AN: Not expecting this to be a long fic, 2/3 chapters at the most. **

**For those interested in my other fic, **_**Reunion**_**, expect an update soon!**

**Please review and thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Santana Lopez showing up on his doorstep was not how he had imagined his Wednesday night.

"What are you doing here?" He unthinkingly blurted. Instead of responding with a narky comment, as Finnn thought she would, Santana instead, rolled her eyes and elbowed him out of the way of the door frame.

"Oh please, make yourself at home." Finn said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Closing the door, he turned to face Santana only to find the Latina beauty was now sprawled on his couch as if she owned it. He'd known her long enough now to not be surprised by her actions. If there was one thing Santana was good at, it was making herself at home with other people's belongings and secrets.

"What can I do for you Santana?" He asked, when she still hadn't said anything.

"No need to be rude Lumps, and after I travelled all the way to this god forsaken town to see you." Finn narrowed his eyes at her use of one of the many nicknames she had gifted him with back in high school. Instead of saying what he actually wanted to say, which was that he hadn't invited her and she was more than welcome to leave the way she came, he instead opted to say;

"And why are you here?"

"Two words. Tony Awards." She said, _as if to say duh, how could you not know this?_

"What about them?" He asked, feining ignorance.

"Really?! You're just going to pretend that Rachel didn't announce, on television I might add, that you helped her to reach her dreams?!"

"What makes you think I even know what you're talking about?"

"Three reasons; 1:Because I know you, and that means I know you watched those awards to see Rachel. 2: Because of you're answer, at least try and act like you don't know what I'm talking about if that's the story you want to go with. And 3: Kurt called me."

Finn ran his hand through his hair and inwardly cursed his nosey brother. Naturally he would have had something to do with this.

"So what if I did Santana? If it meant anything to her why isn't she here right now telling me in person?"

"Maybe she's waiting for you to go to her?"

"I can't just jet off to New York! I have responsibilities here, a job! We're not 18 anymore."

"So let me get this straight, you're giving up a chance at your true love because you have..." She stopped to form air quotes with her hands, "Responsibilities?! If that's what's holding you back, maybe you aren't meant for each other after all." Santana sighed, rising from the couch for the front door.

"I'll be on my way then. No point me sticking around..." She raised her hand to open the door, before letting out a dramatic sigh. Finn knew she was hesitating for a reason, she was waiting for Finn to cave, but as far as he was concerned she could dramatically sigh all she wanted, He was right in honouring his responsibilities.

"No. You know what, I am not going to sit by and watch you let this happen again! Ring in sick to work, pack a dam bag and hop the next plan to New York. I'll stay here and look after the dog!"Her hands placed firmly on her hips and stared Finn down, waiting for the moment he would cave. She knew he would, no one could resist caving to the Santana Lopez stare down. He'd hesisitated too long for Santana it seemed, because before he could stop her and let her know he'd already made up his mind, she was already off on another rant;

"Don't mess with me Tubs! I didn't sit on a plane with a relentless screaming baby and a creepy old man staring at my boobs for 2 hours, to come back to this backwards town, just for you to claim "responsisbilities." As Finn stared at Santana's crazy eyes, he was struck by the thought that though she didn't like it known, Santana Lopez was actually a pretty good friend. And when it came to life decisions, most times, pretty good friends could usually be trusted to give you the advice you needed to do the right thing. In Finn's case, the right thing to do was giving it another chance with Rachel, if only so he could finally let go of the memories and move on with his life.

"You're right." He told Santana.

"I always am." She said, smirking and crossing her arms over her chests. Deciding to leave the issue of Santana's ego for another conversation. Finn spun around and headed for his room. Just as he reached the door, for the second time that night, his doorbell rang.

Fired up with a sense of anticipation he hadn't felt in a long time, Finn shot a long of contempt for the interrupting door, but changed his direction anyway, sprinting back quick enough to beat Santana, who had obviously headed into the kitchen when he'd left, to the front door, he thrust it open.

He was wrong before, Santana wasn't the last person he had expected to find on his doorstep in Lima, Ohio at 8.30 on a Wednesday night, she was.

"Finn." she said, her big brown eyes, on a face he had once known every inch of, stared up at him.

"Rachel."

-xXx-

**New York**

Kurt was right, though she'd never tell him that. How was she ever going to know if she and Finn had really been meant to be, if she didn't hope the next plan to Ohio and find out? But it had been ten years, what if she showed up there and discovered that the Finn Hudson she thought she knew, the same boy she had declared her true love, had in fact been exaggerated in her mind?

Reaching under her bed, Rachel pulled out and old golden box. Inside was all the things that once made her life special, inside the box was all that she had left of Finn. She pulled out photo after photo, all of her once beloved Glee Club members and of Finn. He really had changed her world. If it hadn't been for him, Glee would never have been what it became, she never would have been given the chance to make these friends, ever realised that she did need to let other people into her life. She never would have known what it was to love, really love and maybe she never would have truly understood what it was to be special. How could the boy who was responsible for all of the past good in her life, not have grown into a man she could love just as much, maybe even more?

And it was as she was staring at a picture taken of all of them the day that had finally one Nationals, that she knew, she needed to see Finn.

-xXx-

**Lima, Ohio**

He couldn't believe she was here. It had been years since he had seen her in person. She still looked very much the same, she was still as unbelievably beautiful as he had always seen her.

"Don't just stand there Finn, invite her in." Santana's voice interrupted his thoughts from behind. Right. Invited her in.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked. She nodded at him and smiled hesitantly, before moving to enter the house.

"Santana. what are you doing here?" She asked, clearly puzzled by Santana being there. Finn didn't blame her, Santana had sworn she would never return to Lima the day Brittany had married Sam.

"Oh don't mind me, I was just leaving." Santana said, already moving for the door. "You kids have fun now and make sure you play nice." and with those words she was gone and Finn and Rachel were alone together for the first time in ten years.

"I hope you don't mind that Kurt told me where you lived." She said as her eyes travelled the length of his long frame.

"No not at all." He answered as he to blatantly stared. "Would you like to sit down." He asked, gesturing toward the couch and instantly wishing he'd chosen the kitchen instead as he only owned one thread bare couch.

"Ok." She said, moving toward the couch and hesitantly perching on the end of the cushion.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually have very many visitors." He said, wishing he had taken Kurt up on his offer to redecorate last year.

"Oh." Rachel cried, hands flying to her mouth, realising how they way she was sitting must have seemed to him. "No I... It's a lovely couch, you have a lovely home Finn." She said patting the arm, and moving further back on to the seat. "Honestly I was still debating whether to run or not."

"Do you still want to, run I mean?" He asked.

"No." She said, staring into his eyes so he could see the truth she was speaking.

"I hear you run Glee club with Mr Shue now?" Glad for the subject change, especially with topic he was so passionate about, Finn relaxed back into his chair.

"Yeah it's pretty great. We're getting ready for Regional's now actually." She watched as her face softened and she smiled.

"I'm sure with you and Mr Shue leading them, you're bound to win."

"Thank you." He said and smiled back at her and for a moment they both just sat and stare at each other, lost in their thoughts of their own regional's, of competing side by side.

"Finn do you know why I'm here?"

"Is this about the Tony's?" He asked, he didn't want to play ignorant this time. He wanted Rachel to know that he knew.

"Yes. Finn, are you... seeing anyone?" She asked. Finn could see it in her eyes that depending on his answer, this was a moment that could change both of their lives.

"No. You?" He already figured she wasn't, or at least he hoped she wasn't. She wouldn't have come here otherwise, right?

"No." Finn felt his body release tension he didn't even know it was holding.

"Finn, I came here because the truth is, I've never really gotten over you." She shrugged, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Finn sat stunned, trying to slow his racing thoughts, so that he could answer her. It was as her watched the first tear spill over the edge that Finn realised, this was what he had been waiting for these past ten years.

"Me either." He said, reached out a shaky hand to wipe the tear away. "Me either." He repeated, only more softly, as if the words were freeing him and in a sense they were. He had spent too long trying to forget the woman in front of him.

"I've have some time off." She said, reaching up her hand to lightly rest on top of his. "A month, I was hoping, maybe we could see each other, since I'll be spending it here in Lima?"Finn felt his chest tighten with hope, she was staying in Lima for a month!

"I'd like that." He told her, taking his hand from her face to hold her hand.

"Me too."

* * *

**Author's note:**

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favourited the last chapter. Especially;

**Fabina4life: ** Love the name, I'm a HOA fan too (:

**Noro:** Thank you, sorry for the wait!

**BritishGleek:** Thank you very much!

**Delaferliza:** Thank you and sorry to disappoint! Hope you liked it anyway.

**Ronelle:** Thank you so much! I'm hoping we at least get lots of Finchel next season!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Rachel woke the next morning to the buzzing of her cell phone, she blindly reached out toward her nightstand and the offending sleep intruder. Blinking blearily at the screen she read the caller ID; Quinn.

"Yes." Rachel grumbled into her phone.

"Well good morning to you too Sunshine." Quinn's cheery voice came through the phone.

"Have I told you that I hate morning people lately?" Rachel asked, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

"Every time I ring you."

"Well maybe that should tell you something."

"And what's that?"

"Stop ringing me so early." Quinn laughed, causing Rachel to glare at her bed post and wish her friend wasn't such a pest.

"New York had made you grumpy my friend."

"No, New York has just taught me the importance of sleep."

"All that late night partying will do that to a person." Quinn commented.

"Is there a reason you called?" Rachel asked, not willingly to rehash an conversation the two of them had every few weeks.

"Hmm yes. Finn Hudson."

"Finn?" Rachel repeated, suddenly registering that she was in her childhood bedroom in Lima, Ohio and that last night she had seen Finn Hudson for the first time in ten years.

"Yes Finn Hudson, former McKinley High Quarterback and Co glee captain, the love of your life, Finn Hudson, remember him?"

"Nooo." Rachel dragged out the word sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, now is not the time for sarcasm!" Quinn yelled down the phone. Rachel sighed and wished for a moment that she didn't have so many dramatic friends, but then she supposed that's what happened when you meet them in your high school glee club.

"Quinn, chill, I already went to see Finn last night."

"Chill?! Chill?! Did you really just say chill, Rachel?"

"Really? You woke me up at-" She stopped to look at her clock, "7.30 in the morning just to talk about my sleeping habits and my vocabulary?"

"Well it's not my fault I have a toddler that enjoys waking me up at 5 am, I forget that other people actually get to sleep later than that."

"Not your fault you have a toddler huh?" Rachel smirked.

"Alright so I might have had something to do with it."

"You love her." Rachel laughed.

"I do, but sometimes, especially at 5 am, I wonder why. So can we talk about Finn now?" Rachel smiled at the sound of his name, just the thought of seeing him again tonight made her body warm and her heart flutter.

"We're going to Breadstix for dinner tonight." Rachel told her nosy friend.

"Breadstix, that place is still open!"

"I happened to think it's romantic. We all went there enough when we were teenagers." Rachel defending Finn's choice of a date place.

"I'm not saying it's not. After all it is Lima. I think that regardless of where the two of you go it'll be romantic, two lost loves will do that."

"Lost loves?" Rachel scoffed.

"Yep lost loves. True loves. Epic loves. Whatever you want to call it, you two are what people write about." Write about? Well, Rachel mused, if anyone knew what kinds of love to write about it was Quinn, who currently worked as a screen writer on a popular teenage drama.

"You really think it could work out this time?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. Would she be able to walk away from Finn again? Her heart had barely survived it the first time.

"Yes, I really do. I think you and Finn were always meant to be together."

"That's not what you told me in high school." Quinn laughed.

"I was young and I didn't understand love then, not really. You'll see on your date tonight, Rachel. I should go, Lucy's demanding food."

"Ok, and Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for waking me up." Quinn laughed again,

"I'll remind you of that next time I wake you up." Rachel laughed, said goodbye and ended the call. She really was lucky to have such amazing friends.

-xXx-

"Finn?" Will's voice broke into his thoughts, he was staring at him as if he had already called him numerous times.

"Sorry?" Finn said, blinking himself out of his thought fog.

"Are you ok? You've been staring into space and smiling goofily since I got here. If I didn't know better I'd swear you're in love." Will grinned.

"That's because I am." Will's mouth dropped open.

"Since when?" He asked, baffled.

"Since, always I guess." Finn said, the goofy smile returning to his face, or maybe it had just never left. With Finn's declaration, Will sat back in his chair and stared at him.

"Rachel?" He questioned.

"Rachel." Finn confirmed. "She's in town." Will's mouth dropped open, causing Finn to fleetingly consider making a bug joke, but deciding to let it slide.

"Since when?"

"Last night. She showed on my doorstep. We decided to give it another shot since she's in town for the month."

"That's great Finn, I'm really happy for you. Will said smiling.

"But?" Finn asked, seeing the hesitation on Will's face. Will sighed and leaned both elbows on the table to slide his hands under his chin.

"But what happens when she leaves again?" Finn was happy about Will's concern but it wasn't like that thought hadn't occurred to him as he lain awake last night.

"I can't not give this a chance Will. I can teach anywhere."

"You'd leave Lima?" Will asked, obviously surprised.

"It's what I always intended to do, I never planned on spending my life here."

"You love it here though." Finn knew Will would have a hard time accepting Finn leaving, after all he'd never been able to.

"Not as much as I love her." Will nodded, that much he could understand.

"I really hope it works out this time Finn."

"Me too." Finn said, he knew he would do all he could to make sure it did.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Sorry it's short. The next chapter will have actual Finn/Rachel interaction I promise.

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favourited/alerted the last chapter, especially to;

**ani101PSU**

**noro**

**FinchelFan728**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Because I haven't done one in awhile - I don't own Glee.**

* * *

Later that night found Rachel pacing nervously at her front door.

"Rachel that's new carpet your burning a hole in." Her father said from his place on the couch.

"Sorry Daddy, I guess I didn't realise." Rachel said, fighting the urge to keep pacing. If Finn didn't get here soon she was going to be so full of nervous energy, she was going to explode.

"You'll be fine, we saw the way you two were as kids. I'm sure now that you've had a chance to grow and find yourselves things will work out differently." Her Dad said, coming in from the kitchen.

"Do you think that's all it was, that we needed to find ourselves?" Rachel asked hesitantly, she would love nothing more right now than for someone to tell her the secret to making things work between her and Finn.

"Didn't you break up with him for good so that he could do exactly that?" Rachel's mind went blank for a moment, before images on her final break up and the events leading up to it, swirled in her mind. How could she have forgotten such an important detail? She had broken up with Finn because he had no drive and she no longer knew what to do to make things work between them, because he hadn't really wanted them to at the time. And maybe, maybe she hadn't wanted them to either. Finn would always be her first love, but was he her epic love?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. He was here. Reminding herself to breathe, Rachel reached out and opened the door, and her doubts all went away. Finn stood on the door step, one hand shoved in his jean pocket and the other holding a beautiful array of colourful wild flowers. Rachel almost burst into tears at his unsure stance, this really was Finn, she thought, the same boy she had once loved more than any other.

"Finn." She breathed, blinking back tears of relief.

"Rachel." He said in the same breathy tone, as if he too was caught up in the magic of the moment. "These are for you." He said, as if suddenly remembering he was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you." She said shyly, reaching out for the flowers and then holding them close to smell them.

"Here, why don't you let me take those and you kids go on your way." Her Father Leroy offered from behind her.

"Hello Mr Berry." Finn greeted.

"Hello Finn, it's nice to see you again." With quick goodbyes to her parents, Finn and Rachel headed toward his car.

"Let me get that." Finn said, reaching over to open the passenger side door.

"Thank you." Rachel said blushing, what was it about this boy, no this man, that had her reacting to every little thing he did.

"Feels almost like high school doesn't it, with me picking you up from your parents place I mean." Finn said when he started the car. Rachel laughed;

"It's a nice feeling though." Finn smiled and the two made eye contact for what felt like minutes, before Finn put the car in reverse and headed toward the restaurant.

-xXx-

"This place hasn't changed at all." Rachel mused, looking around their old choice of restaurant.

"No, I hope you don't mind coming here, but it's still the nicest place in town." Finn said after they were seated.

"No not at all, it's nice." She said smiling at him. Why was this so awkward? Why couldn't things just be like they use to between them.

"Rachel, I know we said we wanted to try again last night but I want you to know I really meant what I said. I've missed you. What you said during your speech, the thought that after all these years you hadn't forgotten..." Finn trailed off, praying she'd understand what he was trying to say.

"Finn." Rachel said, reaching out for his hand, surprised by the jolt that went through her body at the contact; "I've never forgotten, how could I? You told me, multiple times I might add, just how special you thought I was." They stared at each other again, lost in the memories of young love the person across the table represented.

"Do you remember what else you told me that day?" Rachel asked. "You told me you wanted to make sure that whenever I'm feeling lonely I could look up at the sky, and no matter where I am, I could know you were looking down on me. Do you know how many times over the years I have spent staring at the stars and knowing that I wasn't alone, wishing that I could make things right with you."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because I was scared you wouldn't feel the same way." Rachel said, dropping her eyes to watch as Finn turned his hand over to hold hers, squeezing it gently.

"We've been apart for ten years because we were both to afraid the other wouldn't feel the same." Finn said, the sadness he felt evident in his eyes.

"That's why I had to come, I had to be sure, once and for all." Rachel told him.

"I was coming to you." Rachel gasped, he was? "That night, I was on my way to pack a bag when you showed up. It's why Santana was there, she came to push me out the door and volunteered to dog sit while I was gone." Rachel felt tears forming in her eyes, Santana who had sworn off ever coming back to Lima, had come back to get her Finn together. She really was lucky to have such amazing friends.

-xXx-

The next morning, Rachel was once again woken to the buzzing of her cell phone. Surprised roused her from her sleepiness, when she saw it was Kurt calling, Kurt very often slept later than she did.

"Kurt, is something wrong?" She asked.

"Other than the fact that you've been in Lima for two days and have yet to call me and tell me what's happening between you and Finn?!" Kurt demanded in lieu of greeting. _Finn. _Rachel smiled dreamily, after their talk last night the awkward atmosphere had seemed to disintegrate and the two of them had spent hours, in the restaurant and the moving to Finn's car outside her house, talking about all the things they had missed while they were apart.

"Rachel, are you even listening to me?!"

"Hmm, what did you say something?" Rachel asked, bursting from her Finn bubble.

"I asked if you'd seen him yet?" Kurt sighed, his frustration with her obvious in his tone.

"Yes." Yes she had seen him all right, every delicious inch of him, well maybe not _that _much.

"You're doing it again." Kurt said, bursting another Finn bubble, one that involved him naked, much to her frustration.

"Fine, what did you want to know?" Rachel asked, accepting that she wasn't going to get Kurt off the phone till he knew everything, sometimes her _amazing _friends were a right pain in her butt.

-xXx-

"That smile is twice the size it was yesterday." Will teased as he sat down at their lunch table.

"With good reason." Finn smiled, he'd been thinking about Rachel almost nonstop since he'd dropped her off last night.

"So things went well last night then?"

"More than well."

"Good, then you can ask Rachel to come to dinner tonight at my place. Emma and I can't wait to see her."

"And what about me? Aren't you excited to see me?" Finn asked, pouting for effect. Will laughed.

"You definitely found your calling in teaching Drama, my friend. Of course we're just as excited to see you, even if we do see you daily." Will teased and Finn laughed. He hadn't felt this light hearted in a long time.

-xXx-

Six thirty that same night found Rachel once up at her front door. Except this time she wasn't pacing nervously, she was bouncing on the balls of her feet at the prospect of seeing Finn again, and Mr Schue and Ms Pillsbury too, well Mrs Schuster now, of course.

"We're going to have to get that carpet replaced again when she finally leaves Hiram." Her father, Leroy, said from behind her. Rachel turned around and mock pouted at her fathers, as they both laughed.

"What do you mean when I _finally _leave? Aren't you enjoying having me here?"

"Well not if you keep ruining the carpet dear." Leroy answered.

"DADDY!" Rachel cried in outrage, causing her fathers to start laughing again, this time harder. Just when Rachel was seriously considering looking for another set of parents, the doorbell rang. Rachel spun around so quickly it made her dizzy, but she ignored it to wrench open the door, and there he stood. _Finn. _

They stared dreamily at each other until one of her pesky fathers cleared his throat behind her.

"Shouldn't you to be going, wouldn't want to be late, would you?" The thought of being late snapped the both of them out of their dreamy state and they headed for Finn's car with a waved goodbye her parents.

* * *

Author's note.

Hope all the sappiness in this chapter made up for the lack of Finchel in the last chapter.

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favourited the last chapter, especially to;

**Noro**

**brucas224**

**FinchelFan728**

**Lolo725**

**Ani101PSU **

- Thanks for the reviews/support guys!


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